Ground Banksia

Ground Banksia is an easy-to grow groundcover with red-pink flowers and ornamental toothed foliage.

For information on staying waterwise, seeking a watering exemption while establishing your garden, offers, rebates and more, please visit the Water Corporation website.

Noongar Name: Unknown

Scientific Name: Banksia blechnifolia

Performance: Easy to grow

Size: Groundcover spreading to 2m with a maximum height up to 50cm

Flower: Red-pink

Flowering Time: Djilba – Kambarang (Sep – Nov)

Natural Distribution: Grows in the Southwest of WA

: Banksia blechnifolia – Susan Wiser (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).jpg

: Banksia blechnifolia – Ian McMaster (CC BY 4.0).jpg

: Banksia blechnifolia – Paul Morris (CC BY-SA 4.0)

: Honey Possum – (CC) Bo Janmaat. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)

Growing at a Glance

See Growing Guide for more detail

Position: Suitable for a sunny position.

Watering: A waterwise, drought-hardy plant.

Feeding: Fertiliser not required.

Pruning: Generally not needed.

Waterwise Listing

Growing Guide

Ideal Position

Ground Banksia is versatile, enjoying a range of positions. Suitable for denser plantings and will perform well in full sun or light shade.

Ground Banksia makes an excellent feature specimen and focal point for any garden.

Ground Banksia is ideally placed at the front of your garden bed.

When to Plant and Watering

Plant young seedlings in Djeran (mid-Autumn) prior to the Makuru rains (Winter). Avoid planting in the hottest times of the year.
Seedlings should be watered twice a week over their first summer in the garden. It is important to ensure water penetrates down into the root-zone.
We recommend using a soil wetting agent as Perth soils are often ‘water repellent’, or do not absorb water effectively.
A layer of composted, coarse mulch can help in getting your garden started. It will help by reducing water loss and suppressing the growth of weeds.

Ground Banksia are waterwise, drought-hardy plants and do not require supplementary water once established.

Ground Banksia should be grouped with other waterwise, drought-hardy plants.

Feeding and Soil Care

Ground Banksia don’t need fertiliser because they are adapted to grow in our local soils, which are typically low in nutrients.
Plants will benefit from adding some vegetable-based compost (avoid those with manure) into the soil at planting.
As your garden develops, practice ‘cut and drop’ when you prune your plants. The leaf and branch material that falls to the ground slowly breaks down over time, releasing nutrients to help your garden to grow.

How to Prune

Ground Banksia generally don’t need pruning for shape, as their natural growth is usually attractive and/or interesting.
If part of the plant dies or grows in an undesired direction, prune from the base of the stem in question with a pair of secateurs or loppers.
You can also leave dead leaves and branches on the plant, as they provide valuable habitat and camouflage for insects.